DE 202 18 523 U1 for example discloses a device for sealing containers, namely bottles with sealing or screw caps e.g. with internal thread, so that the screw caps can be screwed onto the bottle. To seal these, the upright bottles are transferred in succession by a transporter via an inlet star forming a bottle inlet of the device to one of the sealing positions. The sealed containers or bottles are taken via an outlet star from the sealing positions and discharged via a transporter. Each container or each bottle and hence each bottle holder executes a controlled vertical lift movement when the rotor is rotating, so that a screw cap is collected from each screw head at a delivery position, then the mouth of the bottle is moved against the screw cap which is screwed on by rotation of a spindle about its spindle axis and tightened with the specified torque. DE 202 18 523 U1 discloses that the delivery position is provided between the outlet star and the inlet star in the circulation direction of the rotor. The screw or sealing caps are supplied to the delivery position via a feed from a magazine in the necessary orientation and preferably tightly together in single file. In practice it has been shown that not all screw or sealing caps collected are used or some remain suspended, so that an ejector arranged on a height-adjustable carrier rod is provided for the unused or suspended screw or sealing caps. The ejector itself is mounted height-adjustably on a screw shaft and can be moved downwards against the force of a function element designed as a spring in DE 202 18 523 U1 by an ejector rod, which is suitably also height-adjustable together with the bottle holder, in order to remove the screw cap, so that an ejector finger acts against the screw or sealing cap and removes it. When the unused screw or sealing cap is removed, the ejector finger is returned against the force of the function element i.e. under spring force from the ejection position to the starting position.
DE 102 55 196 A1 also discloses a device for closing vessels which also has an ejector with a function element designed as a spring.
DE 10 2006 035 279 A1 and DE 100 56 990 A1 both describe a capping machine, wherein the problem of unused or suspended sealing or screw caps is not discussed.
In principle the capping machines disclosed in the cited prior art have proved suitable in practice. However the design of the ejector with its mechanical function element is worthy of improvement. For example the function element designed as a spring is subject to substantial wear so that as the operating period extends, spring damage can occur. Changing the function element or spring is however extremely complicated and time-consuming not merely because of the restricted construction space but because of the complex structure of the entire system which, with its individual components, must be designed and installed adapted to other components. It is also disadvantageous that dirt can collect in particular in cavities or niches in the spring region. In particular with plant in the drinks industry, bacteria can then develop which can substantially damage the quality of the product filled in the bottles or containers or even make this completely unusable or undrinkable, so that substantial rejection rates can occur.